Pro Palestinian marches apparently costing police 20 million pounds.

[Jupitersstorm]

Should these be allowed to continue due to the cost of policing? I am all for peaceful and safe protests - it's enshrined in our culture and law - but why are these supposedly peaceful protests costing so much to police? There is now a funding gap - couldn't this tax payers' money be better used elsewhere?

Lots of litter and placards to clear up each time too.

"Pro-Palestine protests cost police '£20million' as thousands more take to London streets on ninth weekend in a row - and plans for them to continue into the New Year"

"Additional pressure on the Met is having a detrimental effect on the welfare of its officers, Mr Khan warned.
'The Met has cancelled nearly 4,000 rest days and for each public order event, the same officers are being deployed,' he said.
'Many officers have worked every weekend since October 7 and sickness rates are rising, a trend which is likely to continue.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12846831/Pro-Palestine-protests-cost-police-20million.html

The right to protest must be protected - and completely regardless of what the topic of the protests in question is!

I spent quite some time in Germany during COVID for work reasons (stuck there for a while, as a matter of fact), and the very conspiracy-heavy, at times really pushing the boundaries (there were a lot of "sovereign citizen" types involved, too), personally disgusted me!

I still did not think protests ought to be banned.

I am, equally, on the record - right here on MN - as supporting the right of BBC staff to attend any protest they please, including one I said I would not want to attend.

The right of the people to loudly and collectively voice dissent is sancrosact! Banning protests, in exceptional circumstances, temporarily and as light-handedly as possible, might be an ultima ratio if widespread, otherwise impossible to police violence happens. But, generally speaking, it is a sign of descent into autoritanianism, and in essence deeply illiberal and anti-democratic.

Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - in which the right to protest is supported in articles 19 ff.; it is further and more explicitly spelled out in article 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: “The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized.”

And, yes, our rights cost money! That is perfectly alright! I, for one, would most certainly rather pay taxes to guarantee our rights than for myriad other things the government will otherwise spend them on!

Zero surprise that the DM disagrees, mind!

but why are these supposedly peaceful protests costing so much to police

The MET spent £16m policing extinction rebellion protests in April 2019, and another £21m policing a fortnight of their protests in October 2019, so £37m for a month and a half of protests (https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/22/extinction-rebellion-protests-cost-met-police-37m-so-far).

They spent £8m on just stop oil protests over a couple of months earlier this year.

Obviously people can, and do, argue against extinction rebellion and just stop oil. But for large, very public, high profile protests over many weeks, it seems like they just cost a lot to police. Rather than it being the Palestine protests specifically causing an issue by costing a lot.

And I agree with the PP, rights, such as the right to protest, cost money. I personally think it's a price worth paying.

£20m is also a very very small % of the MET's annual budget.

Why do you say "supposedly". You realise all large protests require a police presence which costs money?

I'd say the money is well spent considering the lives of millions of Palestinian people are at stake here. The marches send a clear message to our government that we aren't all onside with their supporting of this genocide.

The government spent at least £9bn - that is nine thousand million - on a sports competition in 2012.

I think the right to protest is far more intrinsic to a democratic society than the Olympics, and thankfully it's far cheaper too.

If you want to be pissed off about a waste of public money then start a thread about the millions spent on the Rwanda gimmick.

Wasn't there an option to vote for a ceasefire?

Rwanda
PPE
Misuse of resources during Covid
Baronesss Bra?

So so so much misuse of resources in billions.

America has food poverty, expensive healthcare, lack of funding in schools, a stretched economy, but they choose to spend billions killing children in other countries.

£20m on the right for citizens to protest is a very small sum

Yes of course they should be allowed to continue. People have the right to protest.

I’m guessing £20 million is
a) not as much at it sounds when talking about budgets for public services
b) less that has been spent on more frivolous things as a pp pointed out.

I suspect the funding to Israel is costing more....

Additional pressure on the Met is having a detrimental effect on the welfare of its officers, Mr Khan warned.
'The Met has cancelled nearly 4,000 rest days and for each public order event, the same officers are being deployed,' he said.

Perhaps the "additional pressure" is currently worse because up to a thousand of their Met police colleagues are off work while they're investigated for the crimes or serious misconduct they're suspected to have committed.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-66842521

This

It’s more funding I agree but the alternative is a ban as I believe France introduced

The right to protest must be protected.

Why not look at the cost to fund war ships to support Israel?

Britain issued the pro-Zionist Balfour Declaration, which called for the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people in Palestine. I guess Britain has contributed/was involved with the origin of current situation and has to bear costs in one way or another.

How much is this costing the tax payer? Shall it be cancelled too?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-deploys-uk-military-to-eastern-mediterranean-to-support-israel

Global sports events generate equal amounts of money. The money spent is primarily paid back to people who work in the UK, making the event happen.

There is no money made from policing during protests.

Irrelevant anyway because people have a right to protest, and we need the context (ie how much other protests have costed to police) to make a judgement.

These intimidation marches should be banned. They are not allowed in France.

How much aid is Britain going to be sending to rebuild Gaza after the Israelis have totally annihilated it ? A lot more than has been spent policing protests trying to draw attention to Government sponsored genocide !

The marches got what they wanted. There was a ceasefire. Hamas broke it.

And still they march.

Think the marches where requesting for a ceasefire supported by the British government. Uk is still abstaining in their voting

also it wasn’t a ceasefire. It was a pause

These pro ceasefire marches should continue. We are united against war and genocide.

Rwanda
PPE
Misuse of resources during Covid
Baronesss Bra?

can we add to the list Bibby Stockholm barge?

And why not be outraged about the stationing of Royal Navy ships in Med and their facilitating the killings of innocent civilians ?

Eh? There’s no ceasefire, never was, and Israel has made it clear there would be no ceasefire!!